In honour of Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, charities and Bear Grylls invite UK to act for nature

Well-known charities and adventurer Bear Grylls are calling on people to take action for nature where they live, as part of this year’s Big Help Out from 5–8 June.

Eight leading charities and organisations including the Eden Project, RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, Butterfly Conservation, Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), The Conservation Volunteers, Canal & River Trust and RSPCA are championing the call.  

Ahead of Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, the nation is being invited to celebrate his life-long legacy by showing their love of nature, inspired by his most recent BBC series Secret Garden, by offering nature a helping hand at home.  

This call to support nature invites the nation to join more than 10 million people expected to take part in what will be the UK’s biggest celebration of community, as The Big Lunch and volunteering initiative The Big Help Out come together for the first time to connect communities and inspire action. 

It’s a chance to make social connections, while also reconnecting with the natural world on our doorsteps and lending nature a helping hand — from planting for pollinators to creating hedgehog highways in our gardens and neighbourhoods.  

The UK is among the most nature depleted countries in the world, ranking in the top 10% globally for biodiversity loss. This decline is not only an environmental issue, it also affects our resilience to climate change and our health and wellbeing. Indeed, RSPCA’s Animal Kindness Index Report from 2025 [1] has indicated that concern for the future of wildlife is high, with more people worried about global (78%) and UK wildlife (73%) than in 2024. 

Across the UK, gardens form a vast and often overlooked network for nature. Covering an area more than three times the size of all National Nature Reserves, they support over half of the UK’s butterflies and more than 40% of bird and mammal species [2]. 

Even small actions taking place at home, from planting a wildflower patch for local bees to building a ‘bug hotel’ can make a real difference. Taken together, these ideas not only help nature recover but also bring people together, creating opportunities to connect, make friends and build stronger communities.   

Bear Grylls, who is supporting The Big Lunch and The Big Help Out said:  

“As an adventurer, you soon learn that the great outdoors gives us everything—challenge, perspective, and life itself! It connects us to nature, and to each other. Now it’s our turn to have fun giving something back. That’s why I’m encouraging everyone to join in with The Big Lunch and The Big Help Out on 5-8 June! It’s your chance to get outdoors, get stuck in, get your hands dirty, and do something positive for nature and your community. Whether it’s creating your own wild space, having a community clear up, or hosting something outdoors to bring people and communities together. Every action counts! When we support the places we love, and offer friendship to the people around us, we can all grow stronger together! So what will you do? Find out more at thebigdo.com!” 

Over the weekend, and as part of its 25th year, the Eden Project will have a Big Help Out of its own by launching the first ever flower count across its outdoor gardens, inviting the public to take part. The annual count will track how plants are responding to climate change and is inspired by David Attenborough and E.O. Wilson’s concept, that by noticing and recording the life around us, we can all play a part in protecting it. 
Taking part does not just benefit wildlife. Around 75% of volunteers report improved mental health and 89% say they feel they are making a difference [3]. There is also evidence of a ‘double boost’ effect, where helping nature combines the benefits of volunteering with the wellbeing gains of spending time outdoors [4]. In 2023, 72% of participants in CPRE’s Big Help Out citizen science opportunity “Hedgelife Help Out” [5] found taking part helped them feel closer to nature. Yet nearly one in five people say they have never volunteered simply because they were never asked [3]. 

This year, communities can turn shared moments into something that lasts long after The Big Lunch and Big Help Out weekend by making space for nature as part of their celebrations. That could include collaborating with neighbours to create a ‘hedgehog highway’, sowing wildflowers together in overlooked community spaces, creating simple habitats like ponds or bug hotels, taking part in citizen science, letting lawns grow a little longer, setting up street car shares or even swapping a short car journey for walking or cycling.  

Similar action is already happening across the UK through initiatives such as Co-op’s Nature Neighbourhoods programme [6], supporting communities to create greener, more wildlife-friendly spaces, and The Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild challenge [7] which encourages everyone to take small actions to enjoy and help nature where they live throughout the month of June. 

Sir Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project, said:  

“Just imagine a world of gardens without borders. Imagine a moment where people all over the country created corridors for wildlife to create the largest reserve in the country. Can you imagine such an outrageous act of generosity and encouragement to the natural world? Can you? If you love wildlife, set it free - gardens without borders. Acting local but dreaming big - its ordinary people who will make the difference, do something bold for nature and join in on 5-8 June!”   

The Big Lunch and The Big Help Out, led by the Eden Project, have been made possible thanks to funding from Pears Foundation, UK Government and Co-op – and are supported by a wide range of organisations from Scouts and RNLI to British Red Cross and the Royal Voluntary Service. It’s designed to bring people together, strengthen communities and inspire action for people and planet – we can all do something. Find out more and get free resources at: www.thebigdo.com